Coulthard: 'Unacceptable' mistakes a chink in Leclerc's armour

©Ferrari

David Coulthard says Charles Leclerc is Ferrari's strongest asset, but the Monegasque's errors are also an unacceptable "chink in his armour".

In Miami last time out, Leclerc crashed twice over the weekend at the same corner, his second error occurring in qualifying and potentially costing him pole position or at the very minimum a spot on the front row of the race.

The Ferrari charger's Australian Grand Prix was also a wash-out due to a mistake and a contact on the opening lap of the race in Melbourne.

Last year, Leclerc's early championship battle with Max Verstappen suffered a massive set-back when he crashed in his home race at Paul Ricard while the event.

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Whether the five-time Grand Prix winner is error-prone is a difficult call to make given Ferrari's often sorry state in terms of performance, reliability or operational mistakes and which often push Leclerc to the ragged edge and beyond.

Coulthard readily acknowledged Leclerc's brilliant skills and speed but the former F1 driver states that the Monegasque's mistakes are "unacceptable" for a candidate for the world title.

"It’s not acceptable and that’s a chink in his armour," the Scot told Channel 4. "He’s brilliantly fast, he extracts a lot from that car, but he makes too many mistakes and there’s too much damage.

"He knows it, the team will know it, they’ll accept it because what else can you do? You know, you’re not going to fire him, he’s the strongest asset they have there in terms of extracting the last little bit from the car."

Coulthard believes that if Leclerc can manage to put an F1 World Championship under his belt, it would chase away the demons.

"I think that all he needs is a World Championship and then he will be the complete package," he added.

"Right now, he doesn’t have that World Championship. Therefore, he’s driving a little bit desperate and driving beyond his own capabilities."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.